Medicare as a Success Story
In August 2010, the Alliance for Retired Americans celebrated the 45th anniversary of Medicare as did many others in the United States. The Alliance hailed Medicare as a “milestone ... a true American success story that has helped reduce senior poverty by two-thirds.”
Health Reform and Medicare
The Alliance issued a press release in celebration that health reform and Medicare are marching hand in hand. The Alliance didn’t say it, but it might as well have extolled health reform as a birthday gift for Medicare “because the new health reform law makes it easier for seniors to afford to see a doctor, fill a prescription, and receive free preventive screenings and tests for serious diseases.”
Yet, the Alliance lamented that so many retirees were skeptical of health reform and unaware of its new benefits. It went on to say as preface to its health reform summary: “This is the shameful legacy of sustained scare tactics and falsehoods aimed at older Americans during the health care debate. The truth is the new health law helps retirees in several ways.”
Health Reform Summary
The Alliance, in its press release, went on to provide a health reform summary of how the new legislation would benefit older Americans:
- Health reform provides a $250 rebate to those in the Medicare “doughnut hole,” and in subsequent years fully closes this coverage gap;
- It ends co-payments and deductibles for annual physicals, mammograms, colonoscopies, and other preventive screenings;
- It helps early retirees age 55-64 better afford and keep their private health insurance;
- It helps middle-class families afford the high costs of long-term care; and
- It strengthens the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by ending wasteful taxpayer subsidies and overpayments to private insurance companies who operate Medicare Advantage programs.
The Alliance for Retired Americans has prepared a set of additional facts that serve as a health reform summary. They are available at www.RetiredAmericans.org.
Health Reform and Medicare Progress Hand-in-Hand
According to the Alliance's health reform summary. “The best way to celebrate Medicare’s 45th birthday is to educate our friends and neighbors on how this new health law can help them live longer, healthier lives.” Health reform and Medicare go hand-in-hand.
Satisfaction with Medicare
A survey conducted by Extend Health, Inc., would confirm the "success story' the Alliance describes in its health reform summary. In July 2010, Extend Health conducted a survey and found that 85% of 504 respondents were “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their Medicare coverage. Sixty-seven percent actually said they were “as satisfied” or ”more satisfied” with Medicare than their previous employer-sponsored group health plans.
Top reasons for overall satisfaction were (a) fewer billing and payment problems, (b) better benefits, and (c) lower cost.
Extend Health is a company that provides retirees private Medicare plans with funds provided by their former employers.
Topic: Health Subtopics: Index • Health Reform Summary • More Health Reform Summary • Average Health Care Costs • Retirement & Fatigue
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